7 ways to get outdoors in and around Melbourne

Melbourne may be most famous for its amazing coffee culture and art-filled laneways. But with its rivers, beaches, road trips and nearby wine country, Melbourne offers many attractions for lovers of nature and adventure.

You can work up a sweat with a run or kayaking session in the heart of the city, or go for a long pastoral bike ride through the vineyards of Rutherglen three hours away. In fact, you don’t even have to be sporty to soak up the natural beauty of Melbourne and the state of Victoria. You can lie on the beach at St. Kilda, lounge on a catamaran at Port Phillip Bay or enjoy an unforgettable night of stargazing in Gippsland.

Read on for outdoorsy adventures to try on your next visit to Melbourne.

Royal Botanic Gardens

The Royal Botanic Gardens offers excellent cultural walking tours. Led by an Aboriginal guide, you’ll explore the ancestral lands of the Kulin nation, who founded the gardens, and learn about edible plants still enjoyed by Indigenous communities across Australia. If you want to work up more of a sweat, lace up your sneakers and run along the gardens’ most famous trails. Affectionately called “the Tan”, this 2.5km loop attracts runners at all hours of day.

The Yarra River

A big part of the city’s identity, the Yarra River supplies Melbourne with 70 percent of its drinking water, and has spiritual meaning among Aboriginal communities going back thousands of years. You won’t find any Aussies swimming in the Yarra, but you should definitely jump into a kayak and move your way down it for spectacular sights of the city. Prefer to consume calories instead of burn them? Several parks along the river offer free picnic tables and barbecues. Pack some grillable goodies and head to Studley Park Boathouse for a riverside feast. And if you don’t want to do any cooking. Melbourne River Cruises offer daily boat trips down the Yarra. Make it extra special with a bottomless brunch cruise (weekends only).

St. Kilda & Port Phillip Bay

A short tram ride from the city center leads to Melbourne’s premier stretch of sand: St. Kilda Beach. If you love theme parks, check out Luna Park, but you won’t go wrong simply swimming in the pristine waters, either. For something a bit more action-packed, find your sea legs and jump on a tall ship or catamaran touring Port Phillip Bay. From here, you can see the full sweep of Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula.

Phillip Island

A 45-minute ferry ride from Melbourne, Phillip Island is a 101km² treasure trove of natural wonders. Most notably, it’s home to one of the largest Little Penguin colonies on Earth. Every day, hundreds of penguins waddle in from the sea at sunset on Summerland Beach. Find a spot and watch this magical parade. Bring a blanket – it gets cold. There are also whale-watching tours, campgrounds, charming bed and breakfasts and peaceful cafés for those who want to stay overnight.

Rutherglen 

Located in northeast Victoria, three hours from Melbourne, Rutherglen is the ultimate getaway for wine-lovers. Known for its fortified wines, this 150-year-old wine-growing region fuses gold rush streetscapes with vineyards that plume with mist on cool mornings. Rutherglen’s muscat wines are world-renowned, but the region’s temperate climate also yields great white wine grapes like viognier, as well as red wine varietals like sangiovese and zinfandel. The area is best explored by bike – even after a few cellar visits.

Gippsland

There are only a handful of places around the world that offer unadulterated night sky viewing. One of them is just two and a half hours from Melbourne, in Southwest Gippsland. A two-hour excursion at Honeysuckles Astronomy Tours takes guests on an exciting astronomical experience, where you learn to read and appreciate the night sky like the Indigenous community did more than 65,000 years ago. There’s even the option to stay overnight at beachside accommodation.

Great Ocean Road

If it’s more about the journey than the destination, try one of Australia’s most scenic drives. The Great Ocean Road is a three-day adventure all Melburnians do once in their lives. Hit the road and soak up the 240km journey, which takes you to surfing capital Torquay and the 12 Apostles formation before ending at historic fishing village Port Fairy. Located in Great Otway National Park, lush Hopetoun Falls are one of many can’t-miss attractions. Hike into the fern-shrouded forest to see water plunge 30 meters into the Aire River.

For more ideas on what to do, where to stay and what to eat in Melbourne, check out our July Pocket Guide.